Publications

September 2002
Case

Pura Vida Coffee

By: James E. Austin and Allen S. Grossman

Tells the story of two HBS graduates who sell gourmet coffee over the Internet to support an outreach ministry in Costa Rica. View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Internet and the Web; Food and Beverage Industry; Costa Rica

December 1978 (Revised January 1986)
Case

Pepsi-Cola (A)

By: Walter J. Salmon and Steven R. Palesy

Combining aspects of a functionally organized marketing management system, with a franchised channel of distribution network. Focuses on extending an innovative promotional program to a market where competitive conditions differ. View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Management; Marketing; Marketing Reference Programs; Network Effects; Distribution; Organizational Design; Franchise Ownership; Competition; Food and Beverage Industry

November 1998 (Revised November 1999)
Case

British Sugar in China

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Srinivas Sunder

British Sugar, the first major diversification of Associated British Foods, is entering China as part of the global sweetener, starch, and ingredient strategy. View Details

Keywords: Trade; Food; Globalization; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Diversification; Consumer Products Industry; China; United Kingdom

September 2006
Case

Earthbound Farm

By: William A. Sahlman and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Describes a set of decisions confronting the senior management of Earthbound Farm, the largest organic produce company in the world. Focuses on what to do with an East Coast distribution center that is losing money but may be useful strategically. View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Distribution; Food; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Management Teams; Capital Budgeting; Business or Company Management; Business Strategy; Corporate Finance; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

06 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Consumers Blame Business for Global Health Problems. Can Business Become the Solution?

is senior editor for Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. [Image: Mark Kostich] Related Reading: Public Sentiment and the Price of Corporate Sustainability Can the Global Food Industry Overcome Public... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

October 1994 (Revised November 1994)
Case

Alcoma: The Strategic Use of Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice Futures

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Phil Herndon and Katherine L. Morris

Increases in orange tree production led to an orange juice surplus. How does one manage price risk in the orange juice industry under these conditions? View Details

Keywords: Hedging; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Price; Risk Management; Futures and Commodity Futures; Food and Beverage Industry

05 Jul 2016
First Look

July 5, 2016

case considers Nestlé’s creating shared value (CSV) strategy, which focused on the three categories of nutrition, water, and rural development. In the packaged food and View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2022
Working Paper

Getting on the Map: The Impact of Online Listings on Business Performance

By: Michael Luca, Abhishek Nagaraj and Gauri Subramani

We evaluate the extent to which small businesses maintain an online presence, looking at restaurant listings on a major online review platform. While the majority of restaurants have an online presence, we find that roughly 18 percent in our sample have no presence as... View Details

Keywords: Small Business; Internet and the Web; Revenue; Digital Marketing; Food and Beverage Industry

17–18 Oct 2015

Head of the Charles Regatta: HBS Alumni Tent

Join HBS students and alumni to watch the rowing at the Head of the Charles Regatta! The tent will be staffed 9:00 am 4:30 pm on Saturday and 9:00 am 4:00 pm on Sunday. View Details

August 2018
Case

Tapping Growth at Lord Hobo Brewing Company

By: Ethan Rouen and Susanna Gallani

Lord Hobo Brewing Company accounts for its inventory process as it prepares to create its first set of professional financial statements for investors. View Details

Keywords: Inventory; Start-ups; Craft Brewing; Investing; GAAP; Brand Management; Accounting; Working Capital; Entrepreneurship; Private Equity; Business Startups; Business and Shareholder Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; Boston; New England; United States

01 Mar 2014
News

Cutting Edge

an executive at several food companies, Silk had revived other century-old brands such as Jell-O, Lea & Perrins, Hebrew National, and Armour. Based on those successes, New York–based hedge fund York Capital... View Details

Keywords: Food and Beverage Stores; Food and Beverage Stores; Food and Beverage Stores

Clarence Francis

Francis oversaw General Foods with a product line that included the successful Post cereals, Maxwell House and Sanka Coffee, Log Cabin Syrup and Jell-O. After absorbing an... View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

2010
Article

The Strategic Use of Brand Biographies

By: Jill Avery, Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan and Juliet Schor

We introduce the concept of a brand biography to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author a dynamic, historical account of the events that have shaped the brand over time. Using a particular type of brand biography, "the underdog," we empirically... View Details

April 2004 (Revised June 2004)
Teaching Note

Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service (TN)

By: Youngme E. Moon and John A. Quelch

Teaching Note to (9-504-016). View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Food and Beverage Industry

February 2003 (Revised November 2003)
Exercise

McDonald's: Super-Sized Troubles (B)

This case is the second of two cases that describe the situation and poor performance at McDonald's Corp. in early 2003. This exercise directs students to employ a structured problem-solving process to evaluate the McDonald's strategy. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

February 2003 (Revised February 2003)
Exercise

McDonald's: Super-Sized Troubles (A)

This case is one of two cases that describe the situation and poor performance at McDonald's Corp. in early 2003. This exercise instructs students to employ an unstructured brainstorming process to develop strategic options for McDonald's. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

January 1994
Case

National Convenience Stores, Inc.

By: Steven R. Fenster, Stuart C. Gilson and Roy Burstin

National Convenience Stores seeks to emerge from Chapter 11. Central to the nature of the reorganization plan is the company's determining enterprise value. The various constituencies (secured debt, unsecured debt, etc.) will seek to find an enterprise value that... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Valuation; Restructuring; Strategic Planning; Borrowing and Debt; Food and Beverage Industry; Texas